Is it possible to work in Japan without a university degree?
Oh, that is a great question
With many people wanting to come and live or work in Japan,
one of the most common and challenging roadblocks
that need s to be addressed is how to get a visa.
There is no one-size-fits-all with visas in Japan
They are often considered case-by-case with a variety of factors being considered
and since information on Japanese visas sometimes changes. I wanted to bring in a professional Visa lawyer
to help us with this topic.
Today we're going to avoid the obvious visas like the working holiday
which doesn't apply to every country or visas that would apply to the spouse or child of a Japanese national
and try to focus on some of the main visas that will allow you to live and work in Japan
So without further ado,
today I am sitting down with Miwa Kanesaki
who works as an immigration lawyer here in Japan and has agreed to share
Some of her expertise with us.
Thank you very much for inviting me to this video session
Norm san, arigato gozaimasu
Arigato gozaimasu
Before I dive into a specifics of work visas in Japan
By way of short introduction, I have been a "Gyoseishoshi" for many years
Okay
That means that I'm a licensed legal professional that handles among other things
immigration matters
Before starting I would like to make a few general comments on Japan visa system
First, there is a high degree of discretion involved
This makes it difficult to keep definite answers about things like the length of visa
Second, as Norm san mentioned
rules and regulations change sometimes
This is one of the reasons I recommend having consultation with immigration lawyers
to have updated information and advice
Thank you very much for your introduction for everybody watching
For everybody watching,
I just want to state right at the beginning that this video is not sponsored
Miwa san has actually been kind enough to volunteer her time to share this with us today
And for the most accurate legal answers, she's scripted her responses so she doesn't say anything that's a bit of a no-no
that you might peek at her reading every now and then that is totally fine Miwa san
Thank you very much for this
I'd like to jump right into the visa talk
And ask about some of the basic visa types for working in Japan
right, first there is a category of employment visas
This visa is for a person who will be employed in Japan
There are different types of visas
with different requirements based on the type of work that the visa holder will do.
Okay
A common type is called the engineers specialist in the humanities international services visa
basically, this type of visa is for someone who has a certain level of educational background
or someone with some other kind of professional background or experience
okay
And for the requirements, in addition to proof of academic and job carrier,
Other requirements include an employment contract
and financial papers
a company information including financial papers and
and a statement, why the company needs to hire the applicants?
Okay
And the second category is the student visas
Okay
With this visa, a foreign student can work up to 28 hours a week
after permission by the immigration bureau
Gotcha
Okay
The basic requirements are proof of acceptance at a school
Proof of financial support
Mhm
Usually at the university or school does the visa application process
Okay
So, with these student visas and the employment visas that you just talked about
Usually, these require some kind of sponsor then right?
like the school of the company?
Right, yes exactly
Okay
So a question that I've gotten a few times,
Is it possible to self sponsor a visa
well, actually
no, except for business manager visa
Okay, so the business manager visa is the one that we were talking about before
It actually sounds pretty interesting.
Would you be able to share a bit about what the business manager visa is?
Yes, actually
business manager visa is fairly common a
Business manager visa is for a person who wants to set up a business in Japan
Mhm
The requirements include the business plan and office lease
and a capital investment of five million yen
Okay
The required supporting documents
vary depending on the type of business
Okay
So I guess another good question would be
restrictions on visas
Like I know, for example, a lot of most visas
don't allow a non-Japanese national to vote
What other technical restrictions are on visas?
Right, yes
I think the most obvious restriction is that
people with an employment visa have to notify the Immigration Bureau
If they change jobs
Okay
And the new jobs have to be in the same category
Covered by the employment visa
In other words, within the scope of the visa
Okay
Also, you're not allowed to work for any employer or company
other than the one that sponsored your visa
Or do a part-time job unless it is permitted by the Immigration Bureau
Okay
And as for the student visa,
there is no need to notify the Immigration Bureau, if they change jobs
okay
However, people with a student visa
should not work in places like nightclubs,
and pachinko parlours and other places with the legal term
known as the amusement business
Gotcha
Okay
Also, I should mention that like Japanese,
foreign nationals on any of these visas have to obey the laws
Yeah
After pay income taxes, resident taxes and they have to enrol in
and make payments for national health insurance and
the national pension systems.
Okay
As for voting,
except for very limited exceptions,
now foreign nationals cannot vote in Japan
regardless of their visa status.
Okay
And for extension of work visas
I should say you need to
stay more than half a year and
You shouldn't leave for more than three months at the time
Okay
However,
This is not a hard and fast rule
And the certain reasons for a long leave might be taken into consideration
Mm-hmm
So, in that case, are some
working visas better than others?
All right
That's an interesting question
Whether what visa is better than another
really depends on the goal or the purpose of the person applying for the visa
Okay
For example business manager visa
allows the holder to do various type of business
On the other hand the person with an employment visa
has to work in the same area of the work category
of which the visa is based
Mhm
I should mention that one advantage of business manager visa
is that the holder of the visa
Only has to stay in Japan for several months each year
Okay
So a really really common question
I think what big questions for anybody watching a video like this is
is it possible to work in Japan
Without a university degree
That is a great question
This, it depends on the type of work and type of visa
Okay
So in general,
University degree will help for getting an employment visa called
called “engineer/specialist in humanities/international specialist” visa,
but sometimes a college degree and
and 10 year’s working experience
Or a 3 years' working experience
in international business will help, too.
Okay
The important point is
Whether what you studied and
how you worked
match the kind of work you will do in Japan
Mmm, okay
For a business manager visa,
Academic carrier will help
but degree is not required
Gotcha, okay
So now since I've brought you in here
and you have all of this experience
I wanted to ask kind of a question that I think hopefully,
Would give you the opportunity to share some of your background and expertise
What would you say personally are the big benefits of hiring?
Someone like yourself, like an immigration lawyer specialists, etc
This is my favourite question
Since the immigration bureau has a lot of discretion
and since the documentation and language can be difficult,
It is a great idea to have an immigration lawyer
we make sure your visa application meets all the legal requirements
and make the entire process go smoothly
For example, I make sure there is no miscommunication
Among the various people involved such as guarantors
Employers and business partners
and have all the people involved understand the process and documents
basically, I think using an immigration lawyer
Is a kind of investment or a kind of insurance
We try hard to maximize the good points
To persuade immigration Bureau
minimize or explain any unclear points
Excellent.
Well, thank you so much for your time today.
I really appreciate it.
Thank you very much for having me
We will talk again soon.
I have wanted to make a video
on Japanese visas for some time
But with everything being what it is I wasn't willing to do so
without the voice of a proper professional
So thank you so much to Miwa san
for joining us today
Obviously not all of the finer details about the Japanese visa system
are gonna be found in a single YouTube video
But we've done what we can to give a broad strokes base
of information that should hopefully serve as a starting point
if you're researching
Visas to live and work here in Japan
I usually say if you have any questions to feel free to leave them in the comments below
But I don't have answers to your visa questions
So don't ask me Visa questions,
but do leave me something in the comments
I'm really glad that we were able to do this today
I hope the rest of your day is beautiful.
And you know, I will see you again
real soon